


Not By The Size Of His Strength

by Boldly_Gone



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Hurt Kirk, Hurt Spock, M/M, Mythology References, Pining
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-28
Updated: 2015-11-08
Packaged: 2018-04-17 17:06:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4674593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Boldly_Gone/pseuds/Boldly_Gone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An away mission on a new planet is interrupted by a man dressed like an old Greek emperor. He captures the away team and challenges Jim to complete 3 trials in exchange for their release. Spock is just trying to stay sane.</p><p>Heavily inspired by Greek mythology.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! It’s been a while since I've written anything, I've just been through a lot of personal loss in the past couple of months so writing hasn't been high on my list of priorities. But I've really, really missed it. So, I've always had a soft spot for mythology and I really wanted to incorporate it into a Star Trek story...so here we are! I've taken snippets from different mythologies to make it more rounded, I really hope you like it!

James Kirk didn’t hate being alone. He’d spent plenty of time alone during his childhood when his mother was off planet, Frank was passed out on the living room sofa and Sam was out somewhere else not caring about his little brother. Jim hadn’t minded, he'd managed to keep himself busy with books or by going out and doing something that would no doubt get him into trouble.

Though now, sat alone in the canteen surrounded by his crew, he found himself hating being alone. Everyone seemed to have someone else; a friend they would always meet at the end of shift to joke about with, someone they were in a relationship with or just a simple acquaintance to sit and have dinner with at the end of the day. Of course, he had Bones but Jim knew the good doctor had too many responsibilities to be concerned with Jim’s feelings. He was a starship captain, for fuck’s sake, solitary practically came with the job title.

His sipped down the last of his coffee, set his cup down and headed out of the hall. He noted a few crewmembers halting mid-sentence as he passed them. There was still a lot of talk in the air about the Khan incident and how he’d been brought back from the grave. They were a year and a half into their five-year mission, Jim thought any gossip about him would’ve died down by now but as he walked down the corridors and even more people stared awkwardly at him, he knew he must be wrong.

He couldn’t wait to get to his quarters. Better being alone in an empty room than in a room full of people. He was almost at his door when he felt someone approach him from behind. He turned, finding Spock staring at him.

“Mister Spock,” Jim greeted.

“Captain, I have been informed that we will be arriving at _Epsilon 4_ ahead of schedule. Our presence is required on the bridge.”

“Right now?”

Spock nodded. “Right now, sir.”

Jim sighed. He thought he’d be able to get a quick nap in before he’d have to been on the bridge. _Guess not,_ he thought.

He walked next to Spock down the corridor to the turbolift, matching Spock’s long stride. They stood silently as the lift ascended to the bridge. If Jim was being honest with himself, Spock was the one he wanted to spend time with. After being told by the _other_ Spock about the universe-defying relationship that he and _his_ James Kirk had, Jim couldn’t help but feel like he wanted to spend every waking moment with his own Spock. As discreetly as he could, he turned his head to glance at his comrade. Spock looked as stoic as ever, his hands held politely behind his back and his spine unnaturally straight. His dark gaze was locked on the door in front of them as if he was willing it to open and escape the awkward atmosphere inside the lift.

The lift halted gently and the doors swished open, revealing the bustling scene that was the bridge of the _Enterprise._ No sooner had the door opened, Spock was stepping out and rushing over to his station. Jim watched him go, just like he did every time Spock walked away from him.

As Jim walked out of the lift and towards his chair, he tried to shake off any lingering feelings that would hinder this mission. He needed a clear head.

“Status report, Mister Sulu,” he said as he sat down in the chair.

The helmsman turned in his seat to face his captain. “Approaching _Epsilon 4_ two hours ahead of schedule, sir. We’ll be entering orbit in approximately thirty minutes.”

“Good,” Jim said and turned himself to face Spock. “Mister Spock, any readings from the planet yet?”

“As you have no doubt read in the briefing package, sir, it is an uninhabited planet though there have been reports of lifeform readings but these are speculated to be simple lifeforms and not any type of intelligent life. Approximately 78.6% of the planet’s surface is composed of water. It additionally had 26 hour days, with generally warm climates throughout.”

The captain nodded and Spock turned back to his station, leaving Jim staring at the back of his head. Every time Spock turned away from him, Jim felt like the Vulcan was slamming a door in his face. He knew he had to stop thinking of Spock as the person he was meant to spend the rest of his life with as it was made quite clear that Spock thought of Jim as nothing more than his superior officer.

The ship moved slowly into the planet’s orbit as the bridge remained relatively silent. Once they were in stable orbit, Jim and his landing party would beam down and assess any unidentifiable life and report it back to Starfleet. A routine mission that they had carried out a dozen times before. Uhura’s voice broke the silence and pulled Jim’s attention from his thoughts of Spock.

“Sir, I’m receiving a transmission from the planet but it’s too distorted to make anything out.”

Jim frowned and turned to Spock. “I thought you said there was no intelligent life down there.”

“I did, captain. Our analysis showed-“

“Sir,” Uhura interrupted, “we’re being hailed.”

Something was very wrong, Jim could feel it. “On screen, lieutenant.”

Uhura complied and began flicking switches at her console. In no time, the viewing screen became filled with static as the bridge waited with baited breath to see who was contacting them.

The image on the screen became less blurred and the silhouette of a humanoid appeared. It took a moment for the figure to become completely focused and Jim was slightly taken aback by what he saw. The figure looked like a human male with dark hair, dark eyes and very chiselled features. His body could only be seen from the abdomen upwards but Jim could see that the stranger was wearing a white tunic which hung off one of his broad shoulders and barely covered his chest. A gold wreath sat proudly upon his head of dark hair, making Jim think of the ancient Earth tales of times of emperors, deities and monsters. The stranger said nothing.

“I am Captain James Tiberius Kirk of the _USS Enterprise._ Who am I addressing?” Jim’s back stiffened in his chair. If the planet was meant to be uninhabited, just who the hell was this guy? _No one good,_ Jim answered himself.

The stranger did not reply, he only stared back at Jim, making the captain feel slightly uncomfortable. The man crossed his arms across his strong chest and took a large inhale through his nose. As he exhaled, he nodded to himself in a confident manner.

“James Tiberius,” he echoed with a slight smile on his face and, before Jim could say anything, the screen faded to black.

The bridge stayed silent for a few moments as Jim shifted awkwardly in his seat. Chekov and Sulu had turned slowly in their seats to face him, both of them had puzzled looks on their faces.

“What do we do, Captain?” Sulu asked.

Their mission was to beam down and assess any new life that may be dwelling on the surface. Clearly, their briefing did not state what they were meant to do if a man resembling an old Terran deity interrupted their protocol.

“We beam down and see what the hell is going on,” Jim replied. He stood up from his chair and turned towards his First Officer, “Mister Spock, prepare the landing party.”

The Vulcan followed his captain into the turbolift and stood next to him quietly until the doors closed. Jim could tell that Spock was just itching to say something. “Sir, I do not advise beaming down at this point in time. We do not know what kind of threat that this being may impose.”

Jim wanted to roll his eyes but he knew Spock had a point. They knew nothing about the stranger that had appeared to them, only that he clearly had a thing for fancy dress, Jim thought.

“We’re not gonna be down there for long, Spock. As long as we’ve got something to put in the log then it’s fine. That guy seemed pretty harmless anyway.”

Spock shook his head. “Then for what purpose did he repeat your name?”

“I don’t know,” Jim shrugged. “He's living on a planet thats meant to be uninhabited. Maybe that’s just the way he greets strangers?”

Jim knew he hadn’t convinced Spock of anything. Still, as the turbolift came to a stop and the door opened, the Vulcan walked out without any further comments or questions. Jim watched him go. He admitted privately to himself that he hadn’t like the way that the man had been looking at him. Something just unnerved him about his dark gaze. But the away team would only be on the surface for a short period of time so Jim was sure they would be fine. He walked down to the transporter room with an unusual feeling in the pit of his stomach.

_Everything will be fine. Everything will be fine._

 


	2. Chapter 2

The first thing Jim became aware of when he entered the transporter room was Bones’ complaining. The doctor was stood on the transporter pad along with Spock, Chekov, two science officers and two security officers.

“Jim,” McCoy said as soon as he saw his captain enter the room, “tell me Spocks kiddin’, that some big guy from this planet didn’t just threaten you and now we’re going down there to see what the hell he wants.”

“He didn’t threaten me, Bones. He just _looked_ a bit threatening.” Jim stepped up onto the pad and stood next to Spock. “There’s a difference.”

“The hell there ain’t! Kid, if someone was lookin’ at you all funny from across some bar would you sass your way over to him and ask what the hell he was lookin’ at?”

The room remained silent, aside from the odd beeps from the console that Scotty was currently stood behind. Jim stared past Spock at Bones and raised his eyebrows at him.

“Oh,” Bones answered himself as he rolled his eyes, “for a second there I forgot who I was talking to.”

Jim smirked to himself. “Energize.”

X…………………………..X

The cool breeze of _Epsilon 4_ was refreshingly pleasant, Jim found, as he gathered his bearings now that he and his landing party were on the planet’s surface. He glanced upwards at the light pink and orange sky, at the white clouds as the morning mist dispersed into the atmosphere. The clearing they had beamed down to was comparable to a desert except the terrain was a mix of sand and stone. The environment was mostly barren aside from a few odd stone structures that lay around them. With very little to actually analyse, the landing party hadn’t strayed far from each other. Chekov stuck closely to Bones’ side as the two science officers, Hamlin and Riggs, were crouched down and looking at a tiny plant that was growing up from the ground. The security officers, Harper and LaSalle, were hovering around the group, keeping a close eye on their surroundings.

“Hey, Spock,” Jim said as he made his way to his First Officer’s side. “What does _that_ look like to you?” He pointed to a large stone structure in the near-distance. It looked round in shape and extremely worn and old.

“I do not know, Captain. There is not enough information to make a reliable guess.”

Jim should’ve guessed that that would be Spock’s answer. He quickly decided that they should investigate as, clearly, there wasn’t much else to do. He pulled the party together and the group made their way over to the large structure. Jim found himself falling into step with Spock as he watched the Vulcan tap away at his tricorder. He looked on at Spock, trying to take in every detail of him; the way his expression looked when he was reading, the way his body moved as he walked-

“You okay there, Jim?”

McCoy stepped in between his Captain and the Vulcan, noticing how day-dreamy Jim had gone. Jim blinked, now focussing on his doctor.

“I’m fine, Bones. Thanks.”

McCoy lowered his voice, “you know, I didn’t have you down as a guy who was into Vulcans.”

Jim’s steps faltered on the dirt path that they were walking along. “Excuse me?”

“It’s okay, kid. Your secrets safe with me.”

Jim knew he had two choices; lie to Bones _or_ confide in Bones. He was pretty damn sure that the former was the safer option so that’s what he opted to go for. He could be a convincing liar when he needed to be, the only trouble was that Bones was his closest friend; if anyone knew when Jim was lying, Bones did.

“I don’t know _what_ you’re talking about, Bones. I was looking at the sky in the distance. I wasn’t looking at Spock.”

McCoy smiled. “Never said you were lookin’ at Spock.”

 _Fuck,_ Jim thought, unknowing what to say.

“Like I said, kid. I won’t tell no one.”

And thankfully, Jim believed him.

X…………………………..X

Honestly, Jim couldn’t hazard a guess at how long they’d been walking. The hot sun was bearing down on them and the clouds had disappeared from the sky. They trudged along the path and, just a few minutes later, details of the architecture of the structure could be seen from their position. The building was huge.

“Opinion now, Spock?” Jim asked as they walked into the great shadow that the structure was casting.

“I believe it to be a replica of an old Terran amphitheatre, sir.”

They walked around the outside of it and found that Spock was correct.

“A _Greek_ amphitheatre, to be exact,” Spock added as it was a semicircle shape, rather than the full circle that a typical colosseum was. There were at least a hundred rows of seats for spectators but not a single soul was in sight. Jim was beginning to think that _Epsilon 4_ was uninhabited after all. Just as that thought had crossed his mind, Chekov spoke.

“Keptin, look!” The boy pointed to the sky.

In unison, the group looked up and searched for what Chekov had spotted. They saw a shape moving across the sky and Jim could make out the shape of wings flapping. As it got closer, he heard the sound of feathers hitting the air as the figure soared towards them. Once it came fully into view, Jim had to look twice.

A white Pegasus carrying a man on its back hurdled down from the sky and landed a couple of feet away from them. Jim instantly recognised the man as the one who had contacted them before they had beamed down. The creature trotted towards them as the man sat valiantly upon its back, looking regal and intimidating.

“Welcome, my friends,“ he said as he hopped down from his steed and took large strides towards the _Enterprise_ crew. “You,” he pointed to Jim, “are James Tiberius.”

Jim took a couple of steps forward. “I’m the Captain of the _USS Enterprise._ I’m still waiting to know who you are.”

The man halted a metre in front of Jim and stared down at him intensely. The stranger was easily over six-and-a-half feet tall and so towered over Jim. He still wore the loose white tunic and Jim could see now that he wore gold bracelets and gold sandals. His frame was extremely wide and Jim found himself wondering whether he’d be able to match Spock’s inhuman strength.

“I am Jason,” he said as he took a small bow, “and I am the ruler of this planet. You are in command of these people?”

Jim turned slightly to face his party. “These are my crewmembers; my First Officer, my Chief Medical Officer, my science officers and my security.” He turned back around to face the stranger, unknowing that Spock was slowly making his way to his Captain’s side.

“I see,” Jason said, looking past Jim. “I will ask again, _are you in command of these people?”_

Jim frowned. “I am.”

Jason’s lips curved up in a smirk. “Very well.” He took one big stride forward until he was inches away from Jim. Jim did not flinch. “Then they shall be kept as forfeit should you lose.”

Before Jim could even reply, Jason clicked his fingers and seemingly out of nowhere, three beasts leapt out and surrounded his crew, separating Spock and himself from the rest of them. The beasts were ferocious and, only on a second look, did Jim see that they weren’t ordinary beasts. _Griffins,_ he thought as he stared at them, taking note of their wings and talons.

“ _Jim!”_ Bones shouted and absently took a step forward. One of the griffins screeched and jumped towards him, slashing his chest with one of its great talons in the process.

“Bones!” Jim yelled back, seeing his friend collapse to his knees.

“Do not test them, James,” Jason said, “they obey only me.”

Jim gritted his teeth. The entirety of his landing party surrounded McCoy protectively which reassured Jim a little. He stared back at the stranger as he felt Spock stand closer to him.

“Let them go.”

Jason shook his head. “As I said, they will be kept as the forfeit shall you lose.”

“Lose what?”

“The trials.”

Jim was quickly losing his patience, his fists were beginning to clench at his sides. “ _What trials?”_

“The three trials that are to prove your worthiness. No being shall claim to be a true leader less their strength be justly tested. You, James Tiberius,” he pointed at Jim harshly, “have sought to invade my planet and thus I challenge your strength.”

Jim glanced back at his crew. “And if I refuse?”

Jason didn’t answer. He simple glanced over Jim and his three beasts screeched. The sound was so harsh that he felt as though it’d pierced him.

“If I agree, you’re to keep them safe. You can’t hurt them. You can’t even touch them.”

“J-Jim, don’t!” McCoy stuttered, but even he knew that Jim’s mind was already made up.

“Very well. No harm shall come to them until you fail. Then, they are mine to do with as I please,” Jason stuck his hand out for Jim to shake.

Just as he was about to move, Jim felt a hand on his arm. Spock’s voice was low, his breath hot against Jim’s ear. “Captain, I do not believe that agreeing to this man’s challenge is logical.”

“There’s no choice, Spock.”

He shook Jason’s hand as his heart thundered in his chest.

“A wise choice. First, your weapons please, gentlemen.”

Jim and Spock both unhooked their phasors and communicators from their belts and handed them over to Jason, who threw them to his beasts to crush.

“Your friends will be taken to my palace on the other side of this planet where they shall remain. You will be given 3 days to complete your trials. Your second in command may go with you on your journey.”

Jim looked to his right and found that Spock still looked as unreadable as ever. Still, if there was anyone who he’d choose to go through these trials with, he’d choose Spock. He glanced behind him. His crew were looking at him confidently.

“Mister Chekov,” Jim shouted and the young boy looked up, “take care of him, okay?” He gestured towards McCoy who still clutched at his bleeding chest.

“Aye, captain, I will. Until you get back, sir.”

Jim smiled at him and then smiled at the rest of his crew. He turned back around to face the empty land that lay in the distance.

“Head north now,” Jason said as he walked past the pair to stand in front of his beasts. “Your first trial awaits.”

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first trial awaits...

“Spock, for the _last_ time, there was no choice. Taking on these tests was the only option. Quit telling me otherwise. That’s an order.”

Jim and Spock had walked far across the desert plain with very little conversation between them. On at least four occasions, Spock had pointed out that engaging this ‘Jason’ character and agreeing to take on his challenges was not the right choice and Jim, being Jim, completely disagreed.

Jim threw his arms in the air in a dramatic fashion. “You saw what happened to Bones! Who knows what else that bastard is capable of. I wasn’t prepared to take the risk.”

“You do not know what lies ahead, it would be no surprise if our lives were put at risk by whatever these tests consist of,” Spock said as he walked next to his captain.

“If you’re worried about getting hurt, Spock, don’t be. I’m the one who these trials are meant to test, not you.” Jim hoped that the Vulcan wouldn’t guess that that was his roundabout way of saying ‘ _I’m not going to let anything or anyone hurt you.’_

“I am not worried for my safety, Captain. I am concerned for yours.”

Jim’s footsteps faltered slightly. Was that meant to be Spock’s way of telling him that he cared about him? He looked at Spock in the eye but the Vulcan’s expression was neutral as usual.

“You’re worried about my safety?” Jim echoed, hoping that he would get a clearer response. Maybe this was their defining moment; the big reveal that Spock felt the same way that he did. He found himself holding his breath as he waited for Spock’s answer.

“Yes, sir,” Spock added, “you are a valuable asset to Starfleet and an excellent Captain of the _Enterprise._ Replacing you would be an extremely difficult task.”

 _For fuck’s sake,_ Jim cursed. He thought he might have been getting somewhere with admitting to Spock that he had feelings for him. _Apparently not._

“Right.” Jim kicked a stone from the path, scuffing the front of his boots. “I’ll try to stay out of harm’s way then. For Starfleet’s sake.”

Spock said nothing in reply. Jim sighed. So much for the universe-defying relationship that they were destined to have, romantic or otherwise. Maybe this was the universe that they were meant to be just Captain and First Officer. On several occasions now, Spock had made his feelings, or lack of, very clear and Jim was getting a little down about it.

Before Jim could become too lost in his thoughts, his attention was captured by the change in their environment. The pair halted suddenly and stared at the ground. The sandy dirt path they had been walking along had come to a sudden stop and replacing it was a muddy walkway and, instead of a desert-like terrain, there was now muddy marshlands.

“There’s something you don’t see every day,” Jim said as he stepped into the tall grass.

“Indeed. There is more to this planet than it first appears,” Spock added as he followed his Captain through the grass, his boots squelching underneath his steps.

They hadn’t walked far into the new marshland when they noticed something that had not seen on this planet previously. For as far as they could see, a dense forest stood between them and their destination. The trees were tall, like they’d been standing guard over the land for centuries. Their leaves were a shade of very dark green and Jim could see that there was hardly any sunlight escaping through the thick canopy. The forest didn’t look inviting in the slightest.

“Well?” Jim said, turning to Spock.

“Well, what, sir?”

“I don’t think we can go around it.”

Spock shook his head. “I believe you are correct. The forest seems to span for miles in all directions.”

With that, Jim took one step into the forest apprehensively, as if he were expecting something to jump out at him. After all, if Jason had control over _fucking griffins_ then who knew what other creatures may lurk across the planet. Jim noticed that Spock had quickened his pace and that he had fell into step with his Captain, walking right by his side and sticking close to him. Jim smiled; whether Spock had purposefully stepped closer to him or not, it made him feel a little safer.

The forest grew darker as they walked deeper into it, the only sounds coming from the squelching of the mud underneath their boots. Jim squinted and noticed that there was a something up ahead, illuminated by gaps in the trees. As the pair got closer, they found it to be a signpost.

“What the hell is a signpost doing in the middle of this damned forest?” Jim asked.

“Perhaps it holds information about the first trial.”

They walked closer and found the signpost to be sitting in front of a lake with a small dock built into the muddy bank. The lake itself was dark and nothing could be seen beneath its surface. The lake wasn’t large in width, perhaps only half a mile or so, by Jim’s guess anyway, but it was eerily still. But Spock was right. The signpost was wooden and looked extremely worn but there was a scrap of parchment stuck onto it. Jim pulled it off and began to analyse the calligraphy that was etched upon it.

“Jeez, this handwriting is awful,” he commented, trying to make out what the text said. He read it aloud as best he could.

                          

    

 

"I hate cryptic shit like this." Jim looked up at Spock. “Well, guess we’ve just gotta cross the lake. Seems kinda easy, if you ask me.”

Spock leant over to him and pointed to a line of text. “Look at the second line again, Captain, ‘ _-what lies beneath is truly hostile.’_ That does not sound easy.”

“It can’t be that bad, look,” and Jim pointed to a small boat on the dock, “they even left us a boat to use. C’mon.”

He tapped Spock on the arm and walked over to the boat, taking the parchment with him. The boat was small and narrow, with a single mast and a single red sail hoisted and blowing gently in the breeze. There were two oars inside the boat. Jim hopped in but panicked slightly when the boat rocked more than he would have liked. He gripped the sides and let out a small yelp.

“See? No problem,” he said as the rocking ceased.

“It is a benefit that I am with you, Captain, and not Doctor McCoy,” Spock replied as he cautiously stepped into the boat and sat opposite Jim. “I have no doubts that the movement of the waves would cause him to become nauseated.”

Jim laughed, “yeah, Bones never did like the sea.” His smile faded quickly as he thought of his friend. “I hope he’s okay.”

To Jim’s dismay, Spock’s tone changed. “I am sure he is well, Captain. Doctor McCoy is a strong individual and he will have no problems coping with the problems at hand.”

“Thanks, Spock.”

The Vulcan nodded as a response and grasped hold of the oars.

“Wait, what are you doing?” Jim grabbed hold of the end of the oar, stopping it from moving.

“I am rowing us to the other side. I believed that much was obvious.”

“ _I_ can row, Spock. I’m the Captain of the _Enterprise_ and I proclaim myself to be Captain of this ship too,” he joked, hoping Spock would see the funny side. He was wrong.

“I have superior strength to you, sir. We will get across much quicker if I am the one using the paddles.”

Jim sat back. “Fine.”

So Spock lowered the oar blades into the water, he levered the boat away from the bank and began the journey across the lake. Spock’s drive was strong, moving the oars in and out of the water with tremendous ease. Jim was content, watching the way Spock’s body moved with each pull and push of the paddles. Maybe these trails weren’t going to be so difficult after all if Spock was with him.

They were just over halfway across when Jim’s optimism was crushed by the sight of the water rippling unnaturally around their little boat.

“That’s just you being too rough with the oars, right Spock?”

“Negative, Captain.”

Suddenly, Jim felt a shiver down his spine as a peculiar sound hit his eardrums. It was the sound of a woman singing, and she had a beautiful voice. Jim found himself leaning over the side of the boat to try and see the being that was singing such a stunning song. When he saw her, all his thoughts vanished. She rose up further and cupped his cheek with her cold hand and Jim almost melted into her touch.

He leant forward, willing her to take him away with her-

 

X……………..X

Spock did not understand what had come over his Captain. Indeed, he could hear the singing very clearly but he felt nothing, only the desire to continue to cross this lake as hastily as possible. But as he watched Jim’s eyes become slightly glazed and he leant over the side of the boat, the feelings of nothingness were replaced by fear. He leant over the side to get a glimpse of what Jim was mesmerised by. A human-looking woman, with blonde, flowing hair and extremely pale skin, was rising up from the water and had her bright blue gaze locked on Jim. She already had her hand placed upon his cheek and her mouth was open in the middle of her song; the more she sang, the more Jim fell.

Only when her mermaid-like tail rose up from the water behind her did Spock realise what was the creature was.

_A siren._

As quickly, without capsizing them, he grabbed his Captain and pulled him away from her touch. They had been apart for mere seconds when the siren let out an almighty scream. Clearly she had not taken kindly to Spock taking her victim away from her. She thrashed violently in the water around them, trying to capsize the boat as Spock tried his best to calm his Captain, who was struggling in his arms to try and get back to the woman.

“Jim, forgive me,” Spock said as he lifted his hand towards Jim shoulder and nerve-pinched him into unconsciousness.


	4. Chapter 4

Jim awoke to the sensation of water being splashed on his face. His eyelids fluttered numerous times before his vision became clear again. Sitting up slowly, he felt a hand place itself on his back, helping him up.

“Shit,” he groaned, “My neck feels like it's been twisted off.”

“My sincerest apologies, Captain,” Spock replied as he helped Jim sit up properly. “It was necessary.”

Jim rubbed his palm against the ache in his shoulder. He recognised the pain almost immediately. After all, he was hardly likely to forget the time where Spock _fucking_ nerve-pinched him and had him exiled onto _Delta Vega._ It was an odd sort of pain, like pins and needles with a dull throb thrown into the horrible, aching mix. He looked up at Spock, who had clearly been sat at his side, waiting for him to regain consciousness. They were back where they began; on the bank of the lake with the little boat moored onto the dock. Jim felt himself deflate.

“What happened?”

Spock looked slightly taken aback. “You do not remember?”

“I remember getting halfway across and then, no. Nothing.” He absently rubbed his forehead, as if he were trying to make himself remember.

“We encountered the creature that the note warned us about.”

Jim reached into his trouser pocket and took out the crumpled piece of parchment. “ _But what lies beneath is truly hostile’,”_ he read, looking confused.

“Indeed. A siren,” Spock replied, looking out onto the water. It was unnervingly calm once more.

Jim blinked. “A _siren?”_

“Yes.”

“...Shit, now I kinda remember,” Jim added as he looked at the boat. “She was singing this beautiful song and then I then saw her and…she had the darkest hair and deep, brown eyes and-“

“That is not what I saw, sir.”

Jim frowned at Spock. “What?”

“That is not how I saw her appearance. By my account, the creature had blonde hair and blue eyes, the complete opposite to what you have just described.”

Jim didn’t reply for a second, he was too busy thinking of how, and why, they each saw different physical attributes of the creature.

“We could sit here and argue about what we saw or we can figure a way across,” Jim said, waving his hands in front of them. Spock nodded in agreement.

In the next few minutes, they deduced that Spock, being half-Vulcan, was not affected by the siren’s song so at least that was one less issue for them to consider.

“You can’t just knock me unconscious and row me across?” Jim joked though a part of him was being serious.

“It would not be a wise choice, Captain. I believe that this would void our attempts to complete this task as you would not be conscious to take part in it and it is you who these trials are meant to be challenging.”

Spock made a very valid point, if Jim was out of it on the floor of the boat whilst Spock paddled them across in the boat, he supposed that Jason wouldn’t take kindly to their ‘thinking-outside-the-box’ method. Not to mention Jim didn’t want to put anymore of his crew members in immediate danger; cheating the rules wasn’t an option. Not this time.

Suddenly, a light flickered in Jim’s mind as his gaze drifted towards the boat. “What if I’m conscious but I can’t move?”

Clearly, Spock wasn’t following his line of thought. Jim stood up, feeling suddenly triumphant.

“What if we take the sail down from the boat and you tie me to the mast so I can’t move?”

Jim could see Spock ticking over the outcomes of his idea in his mind, weighing up the pros and the cons of his suggestion. After a few moments, Spock stood up too.

“I believe that it a viable solution, Captain.”

“Great! Let’s hop to it,” he said, making his way over to the little boat on the dock.

They lowered the sail with relative ease and took to ripping into smaller ribbons to fasten around Jim’s body. He pressed his back up against the mast and moved his hands around it, so Spock could tie them.

“Never thought I’d see the day where you’d be the one tying me up, huh, Spock,” Jim laughed, hoping he hadn’t crossed the line of acceptable things to say to your subordinate. By the look on Spock’s face, the Vulcan hadn’t understood the insinuation anyway.

Jim cleared his throat awkwardly in an attempt to fill the silence. He began concentrating too hard on the sensations that Spock’s touch was leaving on his skin as the Vulcan’s fingers passed over his wrists, tying the material in knots. Once he was done with his Captain’s wrists, Spock took a larger piece of the material and tied it around Jim, just below his ribcage, and the mast, securing him in place.

“Are you able to move at all, Captain?” Spock asked as he took a step back. He watched Jim wriggle and pull at the knots but nothing happened.

“Nope. I can’t even move my wrists all that much.”

“It is hurting you?”

Jim shook his head. “Nah, Spock. It’s fine. Let’s see that bitch try and get me now.”

Spock took his seat opposite Jim and grasped the wooden oars in his hands once again. As he began to row, Jim felt his heartbeat quicken. _Everything will be fine,_ he told himself, _everything will be fine._

As they neared the halfway point and the place where hell nearly broke loose last time, Jim could see Spock’s expression change. He didn’t look as stoic anymore, his eyes were flickering across from one side of the boat to the other, as if he were trying to anticipate any movement. Just as Jim was about to tell Spock not to worry, the sound of a woman’s voice captured his attention. He felt himself go dizzy as he began to twist his head from side to side. Just as before, the water rippled at the side of the boat as a dark figure lurked underneath them.

The singing was getting louder.

“Spock,” Jim said, his voice shaking, “I can’t. _I can’t.”_ He scrunched his eyes closed tightly, hoping that if he didn’t see the creature, then her mesmerising powers wouldn’t be as strong.

“Captain, I need you to focus on something else, do not give into her,” Spock said but Jim’s breathing was getting alarmingly quick. Out of the corner of his eye, Spock could see the creature’s eyes peeping over the side of the boat.

“ _Jim.”_

X……………………….X

 _This isn’t working,_ Jim said to himself as he became almost unbearably dizzy. _Her song is inside my head, she’s calling to me. Only me. I have to…go to her…_

He twisted his wrists against the knots, feeling a burning sensation inside his head, needing and wanting to be taken away, to be free. The darkness was beginning to close in, he could feel it. It felt cold, barren and empty. But suddenly, the dizziness began to subside and was being replaced with a calm, soothing voice. It seemed to chase the darkness away. He focussed on that as best he could and tried to relax himself.

“ _Jim.”_ The voice lingered in his head, echoing in his mind and spreading a warmth that was so comforting that Jim didn’t ever want it to subside. _“Jim, open your eyes and focus on me.”_

He did as he was told and he slowly opened his eyes, seeing Spock staring at him from across the boat. The scenery around him seemed to blur, like all his mind wanted him to do was look at Spock. He stared at him, watching him row with all his might and Jim could faintly hear a woman’s scream in the back of his mind. That didn’t matter anymore. His focus was Spock, only Spock.

Before he knew it, the boat had breached the bank on the opposite side of the lake, and Spock was quickly tossing the oars aside and moving behind him, unfastening the knots. Jim’s arms fell free though they felt heavy. He leant his head back against the mast and exhaled slowly, hoping that would ease his throbbing heartbeat. Spock finished untying all of the bonds and moved to sit directly in front of Jim.

“Are you hurt, Captain?”

“No,” Jim managed to say though it came out in more of a whisper. “I’m good.” He patted Spock on the leg, letting his hand linger. “ _We’re_ good.”

Jim was sure he heard Spock sigh with relief but chose not to question it.

“We must move out of this area quickly, Captain. We may be across but we do not know what lengths those creatures may go to to get what they desire.”

Jim agreed and stood up, his knees shaking. Whether that was from the near-death experience or the intense feelings he was having for Spock, he couldn’t tell. Still, he climbed out of the boat without any problems and followed his First Officer out of the marshland, Spock stopping every couple of steps to check his Captain was still standing. If Jim wasn’t still disorientated, he’d guess that Spock even looked concerned for him but that was probably just the migraine.

As they came to the clearing at the end of the forest, they saw a quaint scene; a narrow river flowing from the forest, a campfire burning away to itself and a small basket next to it.

“Tell me I’m not imagining this,” Jim said.

“You are not imagining anything, Captain.”

They walked closer and Jim noticed a small piece of paper stuck to the side of the basket. He picked it off and recognised the untidy handwriting immediately and relief flooded him.

_Jim & Spock, _

_So I told our captor that if he was any sort of decent ruler, he’d give you a fighting chance at winning._

_You’re both welcome._

_\- McCoy_

Jim opened the basket and found there to be assorted food inside alongside flasks of water. He smiled. “Looks like Bones is giving orders out, as usual,” Jim said.

"He is no doubt well, as I reassured you previously, Captain."

"I know, Spock. Thank you," he smiled.

As Spock began to take the food out of the basket, Jim turned the paper over out of curiosity and found another message on the back.

_And I’m kicking your ass when you get back here, Jim Kirk. Be warned._


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second trial awaits...

The harsh morning sunlight of _Epsilon 4_ shone brightly onto Jim’s face, forcing him awake. He was sprawled out on his back next to the campfire, one arm above his head and the other laying on the ground. He knew he was a messy sleeper, he’d had countless complaints from past partners that he’d sprawl his limbs out in his sleep and take over more than half the bed or take all of the duvet covers. Absently, he found himself thinking what kind of a sleeper Spock would be. _A neat one,_ he added as images of Spock sleeping in nothing but shorts painted themselves across his mind. He felt himself blush. _Get it together, Jim,_ he told himself, _now is not the fucking time for those thoughts._

He pushed himself up off the ground and stretched his arms above his head, yawning loudly. The fire had gone out hours ago, by the looks of things, though not that any extra heat was needed; the sun warmed him up just fine. He looked over to where Spock had lay down the previous night, on the other side of the campfire, but the Vulcan wasn’t there.

“Good morning, Captain.”

Jim turned his head to see Spock approaching him from behind.

“Mornin’, Spock. Been for a walk?”

“Yes, sir. I awoke before you and surmised you would need considerable more rest before your health was optimally restored. Thus, I thought I would explore the area.”

Jim stood up slowly, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. “Find anything?” He walked over towards the river and squatted down, scooping the cool liquid up into his hands and throwing it onto his face.

“Nothing of significance,” Spock replied, “No sign of life or anything that would be a danger to you.”

“Makes a change,” Jim muttered, wiping his wet face on his shirt.

They ate what was left of the food, mostly bread and fruit, and carried on along the dirt path in a northwards direction. They had a remaining two days to complete the next two tasks and Jim was confident that the next two wouldn’t be as problematic as the last. They hadn’t been walking for long when Jim spotted a structure rising up on the horizon.

“It looks like a wall,” Jim said as he squinted at it.

“Indeed. A very wide wall that seems to span across the plain.”

They were right. The wall was made out of stone and stood at least 8ft tall. Despite the ancient-looking stones, there lay a set of polished, wooden doors embedded into the wall and Jim could see another piece of parchment stuck to it. He ripped it off and took note that it was the same handwriting as before.

        

 

Jim finished reading and looked at Spock, shrugging his shoulders.

“Guess we’ve just got to get to the middle, get the fruit and get out,” Jim said, putting the paper in his trouser pocket. "Seems simple enough."

"If the last test is anything to go by, then I doubt that very strongly, sir," Spock said as he turned to the door. Placing both his hands upon it, he pushed hard and the entrance opened, revealing a single path and more high walls with most of it covered in thick ivy.

“Looks like a labyrinth,” Jim said as he walked in.

Spock followed. “No, sir. It appears to be a maze.”

Jim stared blankly back at Spock. “What’s the difference?”

“A labyrinth has a single, non-branching path with typically one entrance/exit. A maze is a complex puzzle with many branches and choices that may have multiple exits and dead-ends.”

“Hey, for all we know, this could have only one exit.”

As soon as the words had left his mouth, the door they had just entered slammed shut behind them, making the walls of the maze shake. They turned simultaneously just in time to see a panel of wood falling horizontally across the doors, securing them in place and preventing them from being used.

“Shit.”

The pair, having no other direction to go in at this point, walked forwards. They just needed to get through this maze before it started going dark. It was already becoming a nightmare to navigate and it was the middle of the day. They found themselves simply following the path around corners until they came to their first choice. Right or left.

“Let’s go….left,” Jim said and immediately started walking in that direction, giving Spock no time to question his choice. He jogged a little to catch up with his Captain.

Only a few steps on this new path, Spock suddenly felt his tread be taken from underneath him. He stopped but found himself falling into, what he quickly deduced to be, a pitfall trap.

“ _Spock!”_ Jim shouted as he watched his First Officer disappear from the path. “Spock, you okay?”

Jim heard Spock grunt from the bottom of the pit, which only seemed a few foot deep. He peered over, seeing the Vulcan kneeling down.

“I am adequate, Captain. I seem to have twisted my knee in the process of landing, however.”

“Shit, can you climb up?”

Spock didn’t answer. He stood gingerly on his now injured leg but managed to pull himself out of the pit. Without thinking, Jim held onto his arm.

“Can you walk?”

“I believe so.”

The pair turned around and walked back the way they came, taking the pathway to the right this time. Spock’s knee pained every time he bent it to move but tried not to show his pain; Jim would only worry. Spock glanced down to where Jim was clinging onto him.

“There is no need to hold onto me, Captain.”

“Spock, that fall could’ve broken your leg or something!”

“But it did not. I am able to walk.”

Jim couldn’t really be bothered arguing with him. He let go of Spock’s arm and they continued walking in silence. Jim’s thoughts became very loud in his head. He really thought that, after everything that happened with Khan, Spock would want to be his friend and not just his fucking co-worker. But considering they’d spent most of these trials in silence, Jim was willing to bet that Spock still didn’t feel a damn thing. He glanced to his right where Spock was walking/limping along the path. He was in the middle of cursing himself for falling in love with a Vulcan when his attention was captured by the thickening fog around them.

“Dammit,” Jim said stopping in his tracks.

“This is less than ideal,” Spock added, “but it is best that we do not stop.”

Jim agreed and they carried on as their surroundings got darker and darker until Jim could barely see his own hand in front of his face. They just couldn’t afford to be separated.

“Okay, okay, we’re not splitting up. We can’t afford to. We’re gonna run out of time. So c’mere.”

And with that, he fumbled for Spock’s hand, grasping it tightly when he found it. So Jim continued walking along the pathway holding Spock’s hand as the Vulcan walked next to him. He suddenly felt calm, grounded, like he could conquer the damn planet just with Spock’s hand in his. They continued in silence but it wasn’t the same type of silence as before. Jim felt content rather than awkward like he had done before.

But the oddest thing?

Spock hadn’t protested.

X…………………………….X

 

The fog cleared rather quickly once Jim and Spock had walked deeper into the maze and, five dead-ends later, they found themselves approaching the centre. Obviously as soon as the path had become clear again, Jim had let go of Spock’s hand rather reluctantly.

As they neared the centre, the path widened to make room for the circular centre. It had a wide opening and Jim could see that the dirt path turned into grass. The ‘sacred fruit’ that the note talked about retrieving must be in there. But there was a peculiar noise coming from inside that was getting louder as they drew nearer.

“What the hell is that?” Jim asked, peeping around the wall to look in. _“Holy shit.”_

In the left back corner and planted in a patch of soil, he saw a small, green tree that had three pieces of golden fruit on it. Judging the sape, they looked like apples, as far as he could tell, only smaller and gold in colour. But about half a metre away from the tree, lay a sleeping Minotaur. It was curled up on its side, snoring loudly. Its dark skin looked rough and coarse but the silver cuffs it wore around its hooves and wrists looked unscathed; like it hadn’t come against many enemies before. Its huge, human-like hands flinched as it slept.

“You must retrieve one of the fruits without waking it, Captain,” Spock whispered from behind and receiving a funny look from Jim in the process.

“Yeah, thanks for stating the obvious, Spock. Are you _not_ seeing the huge _fucking_ bull?!” He whispered angrily.

Jim exhaled as he felt his heartbeat quicken. The longer he stood here, the more time he was wasting. He looked at Spock who gave him a reassuring nod. With a deep breath, Jim entered the centre and began to creep across the grass. As an aside, he noted the troughs in the grass, no doubt from where the beast had walked around and his size had dinted the ground. He absently found himself holding his breath as he tiptoed across the grass, keeping his gaze firmly locked onto the sleeping beast the whole time. The tree neared and before he knew it, Jim was underneath it and looking up at the golden fruit. Not only were they golden in colour, they also seemed to be emitting a slight glow. He chose the middle one, the nearest one to him, to pick off. Reaching out, he grabbed the fruit and twisted it off the vine, finding that it came off very easily.

The fruit was ripe in his hand and fitted comfortably in his palm. As Jim examined it, he found it to be completely free of marks and blemishes. A perfect apple. The note hadn’t said what he was meant to do with it so he guessed he’d just keep it with him until told otherwise. Suddenly, the sound of the Minotaur’s obnoxious snore startled Jim, causing him to turn around awkwardly and loose his footing down one of the many troughs in the ground. He gave a rather loud yelp as he fell, feeling the apple fly out of his hand and land a few feet away from him.

But the snoring had stopped.

He slowly looked up to find the beast staring at him with menacing red eyes.

“ _Shit.”_

The Minotaur stood up on its two legs and Jim guessed that it was over 7ft tall. Its two horns looked razor-sharp and one even looked as though it had dried blood on the tip. It snarled down at Jim, its nose-ring moving slightly in the process. It bent down to grab something that it had clearly been resting upon…a giant, metal axe.

“Jim,” he heard Spock whisper, “ _run **now**.” _

The beast suddenly let out an almighty roar and Jim took that as his cue to leave. He made a quick scramble for the apple and managed to grab it as the Minotaur took a swipe at him with its axe. Jim needed no further push and he was quickly running at Spock, grabbing the Vulcan’s arm. They ran side-by-side, hearing the beast roar at them from behind. The floor suddenly began to vibrate slightly and the pair new that it was in pursuit of them.

Jim and Spock ran as fast as Spock’s injured leg would go around the maze corners, hoping that they were going the right way towards the exit. They took a wrong turn and ended up at a dead-end. They began to run back the other way but the minotaur was coming right for them. They turned around and headed back into the corner. They were running out of time.

“Captain, I recall that keeping your right hand on one of the walls will undoubtedly lead you to the exit of maze.”

“Spock, we haven’t got time to go around!”

Jim glanced around in a bit of a panic as his brain processed their solutions. He came to one conclusion that wouldn’t result in them coming face-to-face with an axe-wielding bull; they couldn’t go around but they could go _over._ He looked up at the wall. It was tall, that was obvious, but maybe if they stood on top of each other, they’d be able to reach the top of the wall and escape with their lives.

“Spock, get on my shoulders,” Jim ordered as he shoved the piece of fruit into his pocket.

“Captain?”

“Get on my shoulders, get on the top of the wall and then pull me up, okay? You’re stronger than me so you can hoist me up!”

The beast’s footsteps were getting alarming close. Jim could even hear it snorting.

“ _Now, Spock!”_

Without another moment’s hesitation, Jim squatted down and Spock climbed onto him, standing on his Captain’s shoulders. Jim grunted slightly ( _damn, Spock’s heavy!)_ but shook the thought off as he stood up. Spock managed to grasp hold of the top of the wall and was relieved to find that it was wide enough for them to walk upon. Once he was up, he lay flat on his stomach and reached his hand down for Jim to grab. Jim jumped as high as he could manage and grabbed Spock’s hand just as he heard the Minotaur roar from behind them. The Vulcan pulled with all his might, watching as Jim managed to get a grip on the top of the wall and pull himself up and out of harm’s way.

They hadn’t time to relax, the beast was still coming for them, charging at the wall at the end of the dead-end. Jim helped Spock to his feet and the pair began to walk along the relatively thick tops of the stone walls, looking for the exit. They couldn’t see one so simply decided to head in the opposite direction of the entrance as Spock commented that this was the most logical place to put the exit. Jim glanced down and saw the Minotaur still attempting to chase them, slamming his great body into the wall when it could in a vain attempt to make them lose their balance.

“Captain, there! I can see the dirt path leading away from the maze!”

Spock was right. The same dirt pathway that had led them into both the first and second trial was in sight and so the exit must be over there. They continued balancing along the walls and got to where they believed the door should have been. But there was none. Not even a gap in the wall where they’d be able to escape through. Jim and Spock got to the very edge of the most northern wall in the maze and were almost overjoyed to see that this was the end. They carefully jumped onto the dirt path from the top of the wall, both giving a slight grunt as they landed.

They were finally out of the maze.

From inside the maze, they heard the Minotaur roar but then plod away, no doubt to rest until the next challengers would enter.

Jim collapsed back onto his backside, heaving for breath.

“This is fucking crazy, Spock,” he said, “we could’ve died in there!”

Spock was staring at a section of the wall that was in front of them. “I believe that was the plan, Captain.”

Jim stood up. “What?”

“This would be where the exit would be but look,” he stepped closer to the structure and pointed to a section of stones. “These stones are not like the others. They are newer.”

“Are you saying that someone filled in the door so we couldn’t get out?!”

“I am not saying that someone did this to specifically harm _us_ but, yes. Someone did not want any challengers getting out of that maze alive. That much is clear.”

Jim was willing to bet anything that Jason had done this; to make sure that no one could pass his trials. He turned to look at the pink sky with one thought burning in his mind. _Two down, one to go._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so there's only one trial left to go! what monster do you think Jim and Spock are going to have to face?


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final trial.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, shit.  
> Sorry that this took so long! It's a little over 4000 words long though so hopefully that makes up for it!  
> I'd just like to thank MissBAMF for being an awesome friend and a huge inspiration.

Like the previous night, Jim and Spock came to a small clearing in the middle of the forest with a ready-made campfire arrangement at the end of the path and Jim mentally compared it to an old Earth picnic area. The path came to a halt and opened into a circular patch of dry dirt with a campfire in the centre. Different from before, however, there was a large piece of white cloth adjacent to the fire spread out across the floor. It looked rather comfortable to Jim’s eyes as he didn’t quite fancy another night on the hard, dirt floor. The same little basket was placed next to the fire but as the pair walked closer, Jim saw that there was no note from McCoy stuck to it this time. He hoped that this didn’t mean that Bones, Chekov and the rest of the planet-side crew had been harmed. Jason had given his word that no crew member would be hard until Jim had completed the trials. Absently, he noticed Spock shift awkwardly next to him. The Vulcan must have seen his expression change.

“I am sure Doctor McCoy and the rest of our crew are alive and well, Captain. Do not worry.”

“Thanks, Spock.” He knelt down beside the basket and opening it, passing his Vulcan commander a flash of water. “I just want this to be over.”

Spock took the flask and opened it. “I concur, Captain. Though we only have one test left and then we will be free to leave this planet.”

Jim smiled in return and took another sip of water, feeling slightly refreshed as he swallowed it. He sat down on the white fabric and took his boots off, stretching out his limbs with a loud yawn. The cloth was large enough for the two of them to sit on, and sleep on too, Jim thought, so he turned to look at Spock, gesturing for him to sit down too. Spock did, though he sat more rigidly than Jim.

Jim found himself fidgeting and remembered he had the perfect apple from the last trial in his back pocket. He took it out and twisted it around in his palm.

“What do you suppose we’re meant to do with this?” He asked, holding it up for Spock to see.

“The note was unspecific. Though perhaps it would be wise not to consume it, sir.”

Jim scoffed, “I wasn’t gonna eat it!”

Spock raised an eyebrow. “You ran your tongue over your lips whilst staring at it.”

“That doesn’t always mean you wanna _eat_ something! It just looks _good enough_ to eat.”

Jim suddenly felt himself blush as Spock looked away. _Shit,_ Jim thought, _have I ever licked my lips when I’ve been looking at Spock?_ He certainly hoped not, otherwise Spock may just be onto him and his ridiculous feelings of admiration he had for him. But Spock wasn’t making any sort of eye contact with him so maybe it had passed over his head. Jim hoped so, anyway.

The pair sat next to each other and ate some of the bread and fruit that was in the basket, looking up at the sky as the sun disappeared in the distance. The sky faded from pink to blue and, no sooner had they finished their food, the stars had painted themselves across the dark blue sky.

“I forget how beautiful the sky is sometimes, you know,” Jim said as he finished the last piece of his bread. “All the colours and everything. Just the way the clouds move and the way the stars actually _come out_ at night, they’re not just already there in the blackness of space. They actually _shine_ in the sky and then fade when morning comes back around.”

He stretched his arms back, leaning on his palms and noting the softness of the fabric beneath his cold fingertips. “I’m glad you’re with me, Spock.”

“Captain?” Spock sounded more puzzled than anything.

“We work well together, don’t you think?”

“Certainly. It is logical for a captain and first officer to cooperate in order for the ship to run smoothly and succinctly.”

Jim couldn’t find a hint of emotion in Spock’s voice. Not the kind of emotion he was looking for, anyway. Truthfully, he didn’t want anyone besides Spock to be with him right now. But as they sat side-by-side beneath the starry sky, around the campfire and with the unknown final trial tomorrow morning, Jim felt like he couldn’t keep his feelings to himself. He had to say something, anything, which would elicit some sort of emotional response from Spock. He looked over at the Vulcan, who was sat with his legs crossed, palms folded in his lap and his dark gaze locked on the stars above them.

“We’re friends, right Spock?”

Spock turned to him. “I would classify our relationship as more than our working roles aboard the _Enterprise_ , yes.”

“Okay. Good.” And Jim kept silent for the next few moments, hoping he had piqued Spock’s curiosity. He was right.

“Why do you ask, Captain?”

He shrugged. “No reason, really. I was just thinking about what the Other Spock said about his relationship with his Jim Kirk. About how it defined them and stuff.”

Spock raised an eyebrow. “He has also mentioned that fact to me on a number of occasions also. Are you attempting to enquire as to whether our relationship has reached that same point?”

 _Shit,_ Jim cursed, _he’s seen right through me._

“I guess so,” Jim replied as he became very aware of his increasing heartrate. “I know we didn’t start off on the right foot but I think the stuff with Khan and my…er…death brought us closer than colleagues.”

Spock visibly paled. “I agree, Captain.”

The pair fell silent. Jim thought Spock looked like he was about the vomit any second and, before he could ask whether he was alright, Spock stood up abruptly.

“I believe I need to take a walk, Captain. Please excuse me.”

Before Jim could even ask, Spock had walked off very briskly into the surrounding woodland and away from Jim, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

X……………..X

Spock walked without purpose through the trees, trying to clear his head. His thoughts were alarmingly loud in his mind and all were images of Jim taking his final breath in the reactor core on the other side of the glass, away from his touch. He was Vulcan; he was in control of his thoughts. He would not allow such emotions to cloud his logic.

Or so he kept telling himself.

The night was colder than the previous and the wind was stronger, Spock finding himself shivering a little. He stopped walking and turned around to look back upon the path he’d taken. In the near distance, he could still make out the slight orange flickering of the campfire and the smell of burning wood was fresh in the night air.

Spock closed his eyes for a long second and exhaled through his nose in attempt to reduce the rising anxiety. Even the thought of Jim’s _death_ was almost heart-stopping: it sent him into a frenzy of emotion so raw and vivid that it threatened to consume him, overtake every ounce of logic he held and paint it red. He found it curious, however, that the calming blue of Jim’s eyes seemed to bring his logic back again like they were an anchor. After all, he watched the light fade from the same cerulean eyes as Jim took his last breath.

Feeling composed, Spock began walking back through the tall grass, hearing the mud squelch underneath his boots with each step. He was back in the camp before he knew it, finding Jim lying on his side, asleep on the cloth. He was facing Spock and the Vulcan was relaxed even more to see that Jim was calm in his sleep as his features were relaxed. He stood for a few seconds, taking in the Captain’s sleeping form, before sitting down on the dirt next to Jim and waiting for the sun to rise.

X………………………X

Jim awoke to the feeling of a hand on his shoulder. It didn’t startle him, he realised, as he opened his eyes slowly to adjust to the harsh morning sun of _Epsilon 4._

“Jim, I apologise for waking you but we must continue on,” Spock’s voice was soothing to Jim’s ears. He gave a moan in return and Spock stood up and moved away, his past experience reminding him that James Kirk was not a morning person.

The Captain stretched in a starfish pose and yawned, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

“How longs it been since dawn?” His voice was slightly gruff though he cleared his throat after he’d spoken. Spock looked up at the sky.

“Approximately 7 hours. I also estimate that you have had around 6 hour worth of rest, Captain, enough for you to perform optimally in the final trial.”

Jim absently rubbed his stiff neck. He so desperately wanted to be back aboard the _Enterprise,_ to sleep in his own bed and all his crew to be safe and sound. “Oh. Right,” Jim said as he began to pull on his boots, “the final trial is today.”

Before he could stand, he found an apple being thrust into his face.

“You should eat, Captain. Apples are your favourite fruit, correct? Though I am unsure of how this native fruit will compare to your preferred Earth counterpart.” Spock stared down at Jim, waiting for him to reply. Jim blinked and took the apple from Spock’s hand with apprehension. He didn’t know Spock would take note of such a trivial thing as his favourite fruit.

“Yeah, thanks Spock.” He bit into it, finding it a lot sweeter than the Terran equivalent. _Jucier too,_ he thought as it began to drip down his chin. His arm was quick to his mouth, using his golden sleeve to wipe away the juice. Feeling slightly embarrassed, he slyly glanced up at Spock who was seemingly pretending that he didn’t see anything. Jim smiled to himself.

After finishing the fruit and finishing their drinks of water, Jim and Spock left the campsite and headed northwards, following the path that was seemingly made for them to follow. They trudged along silently but Jim didn’t feel uncomfortable like he had done in the past. It was a silence that calmed him, as though Spock’s mere presence next to him soothed him. If Bones were here, he would’ve no doubt called it ‘voodoo’ or something, Jim was sure.

The bright sun of _Epsilon 4_ shone down on them as they found themselves coming out of the forest and at the edge of a narrow river. Across the water, the terrain changed suddenly from marshland to a dry grassland with various rocks sprawled around and dying trees. Though there was still an essence of a path in front of them, it blended in with the dirt and Jim noted that the path soon became engulfed by overgrowing grass which looked coarse and yellow.

“Captain, look.”

Jim glanced at Spock to see the Vulcan pointing at a castle in the distance; too far to see its details but close enough to make out its pillars and statues on the roof.

“Jason’s palace?” Jim asked, using his hand as a shield from the sun.

“I would assume so.”

“We’re so close, Spock. C’mon, let’s find that note and get this fucking thing over with.”

Jim led Spock through the long grass, the pair feeling it scratch across their legs as they walked through it. There was no shade or water on this new part of the planet so Jim figured it was no wonder this land was dying. Soon enough, they came across an old, fallen pillar with a note attached to the side of it. Jim ripped it off and read aloud.

Jim felt the colour drain from his cheeks. Whatever the hell this thing was, it sounded more dangerous than the previous beasts they’d faced on the last trials. But they’d overcome those and Jim was optimistic that this final one would be fine too.

“That does not sound easy, Captain.”

 _So much for being optimistic,_ Jim thought.

A light breeze whistled through the air, blowing the parchment in his hand enough for him to see that, this time, there was more writing on the back of it. He turned it over properly and read it.

He finished reading, finding the last word trailed slowly off his tongue. He looked up at Spock who was staring back at him with inquisitive eyes.

“You think Jason is the one who wrote these notes?” Jim asked.

“It is all very curious, sir,” Spock replied as he walked closer to Jim to read from the parchment himself. “As he is the only other humanoid we have encountered on this planet, it would be logical to assume that he was the one who wrote the notes after he had completed the trials himself.”

“And what about this,” Jim pointed to the first line. “He was captain of a ship who lost the person he loved.”

Spock didn’t reply but continued to study the paper. Jim looked at him through worrying eyes. Suddenly he was scarcely afraid of the same fate befalling them; that Spock would be lost to this final trial and that the cost would be his soul. Jim knew that wasn’t going to be the case, they had overcome far worse in the past and they would both live through this.

He was certain.

X………………………X

The pair had kept cautious when continuing on through across the plain, keeping their wits about them and being consciously aware that this beast with the ‘ _deadly gaze’_ may already be hunting them. Jim noticed that more and more rocks and fallen pillars were appearing around them as they continued on as though they were entering some sort of old ruin. After only a few more minutes of walking, they came to some uneven stone steps, leading upwards to where four worn pillars stood.

“I believe this used to be some sort of sanctuary,” Spock said as though he had read Jim’s thoughts.

“Yeah,” Jim agreed, leading Spock further into the structure. He was mindful of where he was stepping as the boulders around them looked as though they were ready to move at any moment. Jim and Spock stood in the centre of the ruined temple, surrounded by pillars which acted at the walls. In the exact centre, the pair began to examine, what Jim presumed to be, an altar.

“What the hell,” Jim rhetorically asked as he pressed his fingers against a set of huge claw marks that had torn right through the stone of the altar. The marks were deep and ran along one entire side of the stone block. Jim crouched to get a better look at the scratches whilst Spock stood vigilant.

“My guess is that the beast of the trial is what created these marks, Captain,” Spock said.

Jim was about to reply when they heard a high-pitched screeching sound pierce the air. He moved to stand but found Spock already pulling him to his feet by grabbing his arm. The pair ran to the large pillars on the far side of the temple, hiding behind them. Jim peaked around the side, attempting to see what had made such a shriek. His stomach dropped as the beast came into view.

At a glance, Jim thought it was a dragon though it was only about the size of a horse but as it walked closer to them, Jim saw that it had a beak, and a menacingly sharp one at that. It walked on two long legs, its three toes and three claws flexing at it placed its foot down on the stone ground. It didn’t have hands, only a set of claws at the tips of each of its two wings that looked like more like fingers to Jim. Scales covered its entire body aside from the streak of untamed, off-white feathers that ran down the back of its neck and blew in the breeze. Its long neck shifted in jagged movements as the beast surveyed its surroundings as though it could simply sense that a potential prey was near. The creature’s eyes were a dark shade of red with a black pupil darting around to catch the gaze of anything living and send it to its grave.

Jim moved completely out of the creature’s sight and found himself holding his breath, a bead of sweat dripping down his temple but he kept his focus on staying away from the beast’s murderous gaze. When the sound of its footsteps had receded enough that Jim and Spock were content that it was no longer around, the pair sighed a breath of relief. Jim slumped slightly against the pillar.

“I don’t even know what that thing was,” he said, rubbing his tired eyes.

“If I am not mistaken, I believe it is called a _Cockatrice_ , Captain. The head of a rooster but the body of a dragon. It has similar attributes to a Basilisk, which you may be more familiar with.”

“And we’ve got to kill it?!”

“The note said so, sir. Yes.”

Jim slumped right down until he was sat on the floor and leant his head back against the stone, groaning. Staying optimistic was proving more difficult than he first thought. How in the hell were they supposed to kill this thing if they couldn’t look it in the _eye_? He hung his head down and rubbed his neck absently.

“Do not worry, Jim.”

He looked up to see Spock standing in front of him, offering him his hand.

“We have overcome the previous tests and we will overcome this one too. Come.”

Jim took Spock’s hand and the Vulcan pulled him up to his feet. They stood opposite each other, feeling vaguely inspired.

“You’re right, Spock. Let’s go get it.”

They paced around the temple for a short while, brainstorming ideas on how to kill the cockatrice without losing their own lives in the process but nothing successful was springing to mind for either of them.

“We need to get out there,” Jim pointed to the wide-open plain outside the temple, “and find out what we’ve got to work with.”

Spock agreed. “I concur, captain. There may be weaponry amongst the rocks that we could use to attack the beast with.”

Jim nodded and the pair gingerly stepped towards the edge of the stone steps leading out into the dry grassland.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Jim said, placing a hand on Spock’s chest and pushing him back a little. “I’m putting some rules down, okay?”

“Rules?” Spock echoed.

“Yeah. You keep your head down. Don’t look out in the distance, we don’t know how the sneaky bastard moves or hides or anything.”

Spock smiled a little, his lips turning upwards slightly. “That would be a logical course of action, Captain.”

“Good. Let’s move.”

Jim and Spock stepped out of the temple and onto the grass, using every ounce of their concentration to focus on any sort of sound; movement or otherwise. They walked close together, their shoulders almost touching and Jim felt as though he should have ordered Spock to stay put in the temple but he knew that he couldn’t do this without his First Officer by his side.

The harsh sun was high in the sky, telling them that it was practically midday and that they were running out of time to complete the trials by Jason’s deadline. _And to save Bones and my crew,_ Jim thought absently. The sound of running water distracted him from his negative thoughts. He glanced up slightly, seeing a narrow river running across the plain.

“Odd,” Spock said in a half-whisper, “that this area would seem drought-like yet there is a fresh supply of water running right through it.”

Jim agreed with a nod. The river ran across into a large lake in the near-distance, which glistened in the sunlight. If their lives weren’t in imminent danger, Jim would’ve considered taking a dip in the refreshing-looking water.

Suddenly, the same piercing screech was heard and Jim saw something moving quickly towards them in the corner of his vision.

“ _Shit!”_ He cursed, making a grab for Spock’s arm to pull his Vulcan friend to run with him. He found Spock doing the same thing and, before they knew it, the beast was upon them, leaping at them with great force and tremendous agility, the sound of aggressively flapping wings hitting the air. They jumped out the way simultaneously, managing to keep their heads down enough to be able to see the creature and keep out of its way.

However, in the process of the beast’s lunge, Jim had lost sight of Spock.

Jim cursed again and found himself running and skidding to hide behind a relatively large rock. He attempted to get his increasing heart rate back under control and quell his rising panic. The air around him was deathly silent. There was no way he was losing Spock on this final trial. _No fucking way._

He peaked around the side of the rock to see if he could spot his First Officer hiding anywhere. He saw Spock but the Vulcan wasn’t hiding. Spock was backed up against a large rock formation, his head tilted downwards and at an angle, with the Cockatrice slowly approaching him, hissing. Jim’s breath hitched in his throat. Just as the beast lunged for him, Spock jumped out of the way. He wasn’t quick enough. The beast stuck out one of its long finger-like claws and slashed his chest, Spock crying out in the process. Dots of green blood could be seen on the face of the rock as the Vulcan rolled to the side, clutching his wounded chest.

Jim moved quicker than he’d ever moved in his short life, running towards the beast and his fallen friend. Picking up a relatively large rock as he moved, Jim skidded to a halt behind the beast.

“ _HEY!”_ He yelled at the top of his lungs and hurled the rock at the creature with as much force as he could conjure in his tired muscles. _Get the fuck away from him._

The rock hit the cockatrice on the back of the head, clearly angering it as it let out an almighty screech. No sooner had the beast turned around, Jim was running in the opposite direction from Spock, leading the beast away as quickly as he could, the words _save Spock_ being repeated in his mind like a broken record. His heartbeat rang in his ears but not loud enough as he could clearly hear the gaining footfalls of the beast. It was closing in and he had nowhere to run. Hiding would be pointless; it was right on his tail.

 _The lake,_ he thought suddenly and he was running in the direction of the huge body of water that he and Spock had passed only minutes before. There was an essence of doubt in the back of his mind telling him that he wasn’t going to make it; the snapping of the Cockatrice’s beak could be heard right behind him, snapping at him, trying to kill him.

But he was so _close._

The lake was in sight but was death closer?

He leapt with all his might and Jim jumped into the water, a coldness overtaking him as soon as his body hit the surface. The beast fell in with him only a fraction of a second later, with the most gut-wrenching scream that Spock had ever heard.

The Vulcan ran as best as he could to the lake’s edge, seeing the beast floating on the water. It was completely still and its scales had faded to grey instead of the black that it had been only seconds ago when it was attempting to stare him down. But his attention didn’t stay on the Cockatrice for long.

Jim was lying face-down in the water, unmoving.

Without a second’s hesitation, Spock waded into the water, seemingly unphased by the murderous monster floating along the shoreline. He wrapped his arms around Jim’s body and lifted him back into his arms, pulling him back to land as quickly as he could move with his own bleeding chest. He lay Jim on the grass and Spock illogically felt as though his heart had stopped.

Jim’s eyes were closed, his features totally relaxed. Spock placed two of his fingers under his Captain’s chin and felt nothing. His skin was completely cold. Icy, in fact. Spock’s mind raced for recollection on how to perform CPR. Absently, he found himself wishing that Doctor McCoy were here and not him but he shook the thought away quickly. Time was not a luxury. He quickly moved his hands to Jim’s chin, placing two of his fingers underneath it and tilting his Captain’s chin up slightly, making sure his airways were open properly. He placed the heel of his hand in the centre of Jim’s unmoving chest and then placed his other hand on top. He began the compressions, counting in his mind and being tremendously careful that he was following the procedure precisely. Pinching the bridge of Jim’s nose, Spock placed his lips over Jim’s and blew steadily. Jim’s chest was supposed to rise.

He didn’t move.

Spock repeated the procedure until his hands betrayed him and began to shake. His eyes, too, began to fill with tears, making it more difficult to carry on. His Vulcan senses were telling him to stop; that it was illogical that Jim was going to wake up now, that it had been far too long for his Captain to still be remotely alive.

But his human heart told him to push on. _Jim would not give up on you._

But as the minutes went by, even Spock’s human essence had lost hope. He sat back, grasping Jim’s arm tightly as thought his grip was clinging onto Jim’s life. He didn’t want to accept it. He brushed wet strands of hair from Jim’s brow.

“Jim?” Spock said, his voice overwhelmed with emotion. “ _Please, Jim. No.”_ Tears began to fall from the Vulcan’s eyes as his attempts to rouse his Captain became more and more desperate. He pulled Jim into his lap and pressed their foreheads together, hoping that something would happen.

The air stayed completely silent. There was no response.

James Kirk was dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ....whoops.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spock makes his way to Jason's palace, his Captain cradled in his arms.

Spock was unsure of how long he’d sat with Jim for and, quite frankly, he didn’t care. He wasn’t even sure of what he was meant to do at this point. Jim had completed all three of the trials exactly like Jason had wanted but forfeited his own life in the process. The tears had stopped falling from his eyes a while ago but the pain in his chest and head lingered, worsening when he looked at Jim’s calm face. Was he supposed to just stay here until Jason came to retrieve them? He supposed not but somehow he couldn’t find the will to stand. Jim was still lying across his lap, Spock cradling his Captain’s head in the crook of his arm and his hand desperately grasping hold of Jim’s.

The sun was beginning to set and the evening winds were rising, Spock absently noted. Time was still ticking to save the crew. He knew that the last thing Jim would have wanted would be for McCoy, Chekov and the others to be harmed. He still had to get to the palace before time ran out and prove to Jason that they had successfully beaten his trivial trials.

_Jason._

The name rang with a coarse tone in Spock’s mind. That arrogant autocrat had cost Jim his life and Spock would ensure that he would be brought to justice for his crimes. Holding the landing party hostage, threatening to kill them if Jim didn’t comply with his terms, sabotaging the trials and releasing the beast that murdered his Captain. Spock was damn sure he had enough viable evidence to present to the authorities and prosecute this man regardless of whether this was a Federation planet or not.

He _would_ get justice for Jim. Spock sighed, looking down at his Captain’s pale face.

Jim had sacrificed his life to save Spock’s. And Spock could never thank him.

After a few seconds of quiet but deep thought, Spock knew he had to get moving. He would make sure that the entire planet knew that James Kirk had completed the tests set before him with outstanding courage and great sacrifice. He shifted Jim’s weight in his arms, pulling him completely into his lap. Wrapping his arm around Jim’s shoulders and his other arm under Jim’s legs, Spock stood up and lifted his Captain with him, holding him in a bridal manner. Jim’s head fell against Spock’s shoulder, his wet hair brushing against the underneath of Spock’s chin.

Spock began to walk in a northwards direction, recalling that that was where he and Jim had last seen Jason’s palace on the horizon. His geographical calculations were correct and soon he found himself walking across a vast plain to the structure in the near distance.

As he walked, he contemplated his life without Jim. It was different this time, he thought. When Jim had passed before his very eyes in the radiation chamber, all his emotions and strength had been directed towards Khan. Now, in this moment, anger was not his primary feeling.

It was regret.

The regret of not being able to protect Jim from harm, the regret of the times ahead that they would now not be able to spend together and the regret of not telling Jim how he truly felt about him.

Spock cast his mind back to the previous night and the conversation that Jim had tried to have with him regarding their personal relationship and whether it had reached the epic proportions that Spock’s counterpart had old them both about. Spock had a strange inclination that Jim was attempting to allude to his own feelings, to move past their working relationship of simply _Captain and First Officer_ and become something more. Spock found himself questioning whether he could stay on board the _Enterprise_ now that Jim was gone for good or whether the fond memories he had of his Captain would be enough of an anchor to keep him sane on board their star ship.

His attention was grabbed when he found himself walking into a large shadow cast by the enormous palace in front of him. He glanced around, finding that he was walking through an immaculate garden. Each blade of grass was cut to exactly the same height and not a single flower was out of place. His boots scuffed along the dirt path, creating small clouds of dust. Absently, he noted that both gardens on either side of the path were symmetrical and immaculately attended to. Spock supposed he could have appreciated such a structure if the circumstances were different. The entire structure was built from beige rocks which looked completely new and unscathed. There were ten tall pillars holding up the roof at the front of the building with a set of large stone steps leading upwards past the huge pillars where a large set of polished, wooden doors awaited.

Spock ascended the steps, watching his footing. It should have been Jim and himself walking up together, triumphant and celebrating their victory over this planet and the trials. Instead, Jim lay cold and still in Spock’s arms. As he stood in front of the doors, a wave of anxiety washed over him; McCoy was going to be heartbroken. He took a large inhale of breath and shoved his shoulder hard against the door, pushing it open and stepping inside.

The floor was marble; pristine and white underneath the dirty soles of his boots. The high ceiling was painted like the sky at sunset, as it was a mix of shades of orange and pinks, white shapes dotted across it as clouds. The walls were plain and the sound of the doors closing behind him echoed across the empty hall. At the far end, Spock could make out silhouettes sat at, what appeared to be, a long table. As he approached it, he heard the familiar voices of his crew.

Suddenly, there was a figure walking towards him. The figure drew closer and broke into a sprint, his footfalls echoing loudly. McCoy was running towards Spock, looking completely panic-stricken.

X……………….X

By his calculations, McCoy knew that Jim and Spock had a little over five hours left to get their asses across the damned planet and into this ridiculous palace and save the crew. He sat back in his chair, glancing down the table at the other planet-side crew members of the _Enterprise_ as they were all sat on the same side of the table with Jason on the other. He glanced to his left, finding that he could see out of one of the tall windows into the gardens outside. The sun was beginning to set on the third day and he knew all of them were running out of time.

“More wine, doctor?” Jason asked in his deep tone of voice, pulling McCoy from his thoughts.

He looked up and across the table to where their captor sat opposite him, offering him the jug of red liquid.

“No. Thank you,” he replied, sitting back in his chair and cast his gaze back to the window, the silence settling back over them. McCoy couldn’t help the sharpness to his tone of voice. At the other end of the rectangular table, the other members of the landing party, Hamlin, Riggs, Harper and LaSalle, chatted quietly among themselves.

“What about you, Pavel?” Jason said, turning his attention to the boy sat next to Bones.

“I think not, you have spoiled me too much already!” Chekov replied, reclining back in his chair and rubbing his stomach.

Jason laughed. “Nonsense! You are my guests and will be treated as such!”

Despite his intimidating appearance and his aggressive demeanour on their first meeting, McCoy had found Jason to be a different man once they were inside his palace. The native had offered them nothing but excellent hospitality since their capture and McCoy couldn’t put his finger on what was wrong. McCoy had done his best to observe Jason’s behaviour without causing suspicion and simply seeing how he interacted with Chekov and the others was very strange. Instead of continuing his threats, he was caring, sensitive even, to their every need. McCoy supposed that Jason was simply lonely. He’d had dozens of conversations with Jason over the past three days and McCoy was beginning to think that this _mighty ruler_ was just an act. _Lost soul_ was more of a fitting description of him, he thought.

“You are lost in deep thought, Leonard. What burdens you?”

McCoy looked at Jason, who sipped down more wine. He didn’t reply.

“You would not look so troubled if you were to remain here with me. My oasis would be yours,” he gestured to all of the crew, “all of yours, in fact. It is peaceful here, you would be protected and live out your days in harmony.”

Before any of the crew could reply, the sound of the huge double-doors at the opposite end of the hall echoed throughout, sending McCoy’s stomach into knots. He was quick to his feet, desperate to see Jim and Spock alive and well. Before he realised, McCoy was making his way around the table to greet his friends and to give Jim a smack around the head for getting them into this mess.

But as he walked closer to the approaching figure, his heart sank. He found himself running towards them, fearing the worst.

Spock looked awful, at the complete end of his tether, exhausted and dehydrated at the very least. His shirt was ripped too and McCoy noted green blood that stained the fabric.

But Jim…

Jim was completely white and limp in Spock’s arms, his command gold shirt and black trousers looked damp.

“Spock!” McCoy shouted once he was almost face-to-face with the Vulcan, “what the hell happened?!”

Spock found himself falling to his knees just as McCoy met him. As soon as Jim was within arm’s length, McCoy reached his hand out, pressing his fingers against the underside of Jim’s chin and grasped his cold wrist, panic overtaking him as nothing hit his fingertips. His alarmed eyes looked up at Spock.

“Jim is dead, doctor.”

McCoy shook, his whole body feeling weak. “Spock…”

“The beast of the final trial. Whomever met its gaze would be killed. Jim saved my life.”

Tears were filling McCoy’s eyes as his chest heaved for breath, attempting to quell his panic. He placed a hand on Spock’s shoulder, knowing that the Vulcan was struggling to hold his logical front together.

“The beast of the final trial, you say?” Jason stood behind Bones, his dark gaze on Jim’s pale face. Chekov and the others had also followed and stood in shock at seeing Jim in this state.

“Yes,” Spock replied, finding himself being unable to look Jason in the eyes for fear of ripping them out of his skull.

“Tell me how it happened.”

“It is not of importance to you.” Spock’s tone was low and rough.

Jason persisted, “ _tell me how it happened.”_

McCoy saw the Vulcan’s expression change. Spock looked up slowly, meeting Jason’s eyes. He shifted Jim’s weight in his arms, handing him over gently to McCoy who held his friend tightly, resting Jim on the floor and placing his arm around the small of his back.

“Spock, don’t,” he said, watching the Vulcan stand up and approach Jason.

“Your beast, the cockatrice, had corned me against a rock face. As I tried to leap out of its way, it wounded me,” he pointed to his sliced chest, “my Captain distracted the beast, leading it away from me and to a lake, where it drowned.” Spock was now inches away from Jason. “But not before the creature looked upon him and stole his life from him. My Jim is dead because of you. You will pay for your crimes.”

Before Jason could reply, Spock’s hand had grasped at his throat. Despite the obvious height and weight difference, Spock had no problem dragging him backwards to the wall, holding him up against it. Jason gasped for breath as his arms desperately scratched at Spock but failed to harm him.

“Spock, stop!” McCoy shouted, “Jim wouldn’t want you to do this!”

The Vulcan didn’t flinch at McCoy’s words.

“Commander, he’s trying to say something!” Chekov said, daring to walk closer to the struggling pair.

“ _It...can….swim,_ ” Jason spluttered, feeling incredibly lightheaded. “ _Not….dead,”_ and as best he could, he inclined his head towards Jim, still limp in McCoy’s arms.

Spock turned his head to look at Jim, his heart sinking. He released Jason from his grip, watching him fall to his knees as he coughed, attempting to get his breath back. Spock stared down at him.

Jason brushed his dark curls out of his eyes and looked up at Spock. “Now,” he said, standing up and straightening the gold wreath that had been lopsided on his head, “tell me this; are you still in possession of the fruit from your second trial?

“Yes. Jim kept hold of it in case it would be needed,” Spock replied.

“Your Captain is wise, that must is clear,” he said and walked over to where McCoy was still holding onto Jim.

“It is in his back pocket,” Spock instructed, kneeling down and reaching into Jim’s trouser pocket and pulling out the fruit.

Jason took it from the Vulcan’s hand and examined it, turning it around inquisitively in his palm. “It is slightly bruised and fading. We must hurry.” He began to walk back down the hall, turning and gesturing for them to follow. “Quickly now!”

Without thinking, Spock stepped back and picked Jim out of McCoy’s arms with incredible ease, following Jason with his Captain held gently in his arms. McCoy didn’t protest. At the other end of the hall, Jason was pushing all of the cups, plates and cutlery off the table top, all hitting the floor with loud clangs and bangs.

“Lay him here,” Jason ordered as he gestured to the table and pulled the red cushions from the chairs and placed them on the surface. “I will return momentarily.” He went through the open archway in the back corner and Spock heard more banging of utensils as they were being tossed aside.

Being as gentle as he could, Spock lay Jim on the table, placing his hand behind his Captain’s head to lower him down onto the wooden surface. Spock found himself being illogically filled with hopefulness; he had no reason to even trust Jason, let allow him to practice some presumably native medicinal technique on Jim. But as Spock stood looking down on the pale face of his Captain, he was willing to try absolutely anything to have him back. _Anything_.

Jason returned with a mortar and pestle in his hands, grinding the fruit with rapid determination.

“What’re you gonna do with that?” McCoy asked, standing vigilantly next to Jim and trying his best not to show his crippling anxiety.

Jason looked at Spock, rather than McCoy who had asked the question. “The cockatrice may only be killed by looking at a reflection of itself. There is no other way to destroy them. I have tried many times to rid those terrible beasts from this planet but they are strong.”

“Vhat about locking them away?” Chekov asked.

Jason shook his head. “I only wish to kill them. One of them, it….it took something from me,” he replied and Spock could have sworn that tears were beginning to well in Jason’s eyes. 

The realisation hit Spock suddenly. “ _You_ are the one who left the notes.”

“Aye,” Jason said with a slight smile. “I am not the creator of this planet. I, like all of you, was a member of a star ship from a planet far away from here. I was a Captain…I became emotionally compromised with my second in command.” He set the mortar and pestle down on the table and gestured to a mural on the grand wall behind them, removing the circlet from his head and holding it close to his chest. It was a painting, no doubt created by Jason himself, as it depicted the bridge of a ship travelling through space, two figured stood at the helm. Jason stared at it with fond eyes. “We visited this planet in peace though I was challenge to the same trials that you have completed by the previous ruler of this planet. My love chose to accompany me and she….was lost in the final trial to that horrid beast. She met its gaze as she distracted its attention from me and it stole her life away from her. I chose to stay with her on this planet, becoming the new ruler when the previous passed.”

The group stood in silence, unsure of what to feel. Their intimidating and seemingly merciless captor was seemingly about to have a breakdown before their eyes.

“And what has this got to do with my Captain and that fruit?” Spock asked, obviously growing rather impatient.

“Ah, yes,” Jason replied, “from my observations of the beast, I deduced that indirectly making eye-contact with it results in a paralysed state of mind and only simulates death.”

Spock cast his mind back, reliving the minute leading up to where he pulled his limp Captain from the water and away from the unmoving cockatrice. From the direction he had been running in, he recalled Jim leaping into the water with the cockatrice directly on his tail.

“Are you implying that Jim met the creature’s gaze in the reflection of the water?” Spock asked, hoping that he was right.

“Indeed,” Jason replied, picking up the bowl that he had mashed the perfect apple in. He picked up one of the glasses that he had knocked on the floor and began to pour the juice from the bowl into the glass. “I experimented with the fruit I retrieved from my trial to revive a small creature which had accidentally caught the gaze of the creature whilst it had been drinking from the lake. I made the connection when you told me your Captain had led it to the lake.”

McCoy exhaled loudly and rubbed his eyes, “so all we gotta do is make him drink some of that fruit juice?”

“Yes but…I have only attempted this procedure once before and that was on a small bird,” Jason replied, looking extremely hesitant.

“If there is even a small chance that this may work then continue,” Spock interjected.

Jason nodded, “Very well. Open his mouth.”

Spock and McCoy complied, whilst the other crew members stood back in awe, praying and hoping that this would return their Captain back to health. Chekov began biting his nails, his gaze locked on Jim’s face. They only had one piece of fruit so Spock knew this was their only shot at getting Jim back. Spock’s fingers gently brushed Jim’s lips as he held his jaw to open his mouth. When he’d imagined touching Jim’s lips for the first time, this is not how he had pictured the situation. Jason moved to stand next to Jim as McCoy moved out of the way but he made sure he stayed close enough to watch carefully.

Jason took the glass and gingerly moved towards the Captain’s lips, feeling especially wary as a result of the way the Vulcan was staring at him. Jason was cautious as he tipped the glass slowly, the whole group standing in silence as they watched Jim’s body for any sign of movement. The contents of the glass decreased slowly, the gold liquid disappearing into Jim’s mouth. Spock found himself holding his breath.

_Open your eyes, Jim. Please. Open your eyes._

Suddenly, Jim’s body jolted as he took in a huge breath, coughing violently as he regained his consciousness and returned to the land of the living. In that second, Spock’s emotions became unmeasurably overwhelmed that he felt his legs wobble slightly. Steadying himself, he stepped forward to grasp Jim’s hand tightly as McCoy moved to reposition Jim to prevent him from choking. His coughing soon subsided and Spock watched at Jim’s chest began to rise and fall in a steady rhythm, his cheeks already beginning to regain colour. McCoy placed the back of his hand against Jim’s forehead and then two fingers under his chin.

“He’s stable,” he said and Spock could see the relief in his face. He looked up to see the rest of the crew smiling, Chekov even had tears in his eyes.

Spock leant in to his Captain. “ _Jim,”_ he said, still desperate to see the calming blue of Jim’s eyes.

“It may be a couple of minutes before he wakes properly. Come, I will show you to a bed. It will be more comfortable for him,” Jason interrupted and had already began to walk away and towards the back archway before Spock had a chance to reply.

But Spock complied, finding it agreeable that his Captain should now be resting in a bed in order to properly regain his strength. He slid his arms under Jim’s shoulders and his legs, hoisting him up into his arms with grace and ease, following Jason’s steps out of the hall.

Chekov made his way over to stand with McCoy. “Keptin Kirk will be okay now, right, Doctor?”

McCoy couldn’t help but smile as he attempted to wipe a tear from the corner of his eye. “I think so, kid. I think so.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There were no warnings for 'Major Character Death' for a reason! Only temporary!  
> There's only one chapter to go now so I hope you've enjoyed reading!


End file.
